During the holidays, many of us connect with family members, including those we don’t spend much time with. Sometimes happy memories result, and other times it can be downright awkward.
Whether your gathering is small or includes extended family, you can bond over food, shared activities and holiday traditions. If you’re looking for a new sharing activity, creating a Spotify collaborative holiday playlist can be a fun way to liven up the atmosphere and make sure everyone can hear the music they love.
Setting Guidelines for the Holiday Group Playlist
First, you may want to set some guidelines if the entertainment at your celebration includes people of different ages, beliefs, and tastes. For example, if the party includes children, older relatives, or people with different tolerances for “strong language,” you may want to agree on some guidelines beforehand.
On Spotify, tracks with “explicit lyrics” are marked with an E, making it easier to see which is of concern to your group. If you share a Spotify family account with kids, you may already be familiar with the parental controls as well as how to share playlists with the kids.
Another guideline is to decide whether you want exclusively holiday music or want to include a mix of crowd-pleasing songs. Spotify offers tips for creating holiday playlists that can help when you need ideas.
Possible Themes for Collaborative Holiday Playlists
Think of a name for your shared playlist that reflects the group or theme. Music brings back memories and connection, even if it’s that solemn song you hear every time you walk into a public place during the holidays.
Not only is it something most of us experience, research published in journals such as Psychology of Music indicates that nostalgic music can inspire optimism and even help people feel less discomfort. Plus, it gives your group an ongoing conversation icebreaker.
If you want to make a playlist making game, that is also an option.
How to Create a Collaborative Holiday Playlist on Spotify
Spotify’s collaborative playlist feature makes it easy to learn how to create collaborative playlists using the Spotify for both mobile and desktop apps. If you see some people at the holidays who aren’t tech-friendly, just tell them it’s as simple as making a “mixtape,” but easier. This could also be a fun opportunity to teach your great-uncle how to use Spotify.
To get started on the Spotify desktop app, simply create your playlist, then click the three-dot button next to Play and choose Companion Playlists. The mobile version is just as easy, open a playlist you’ve created, then click the person icon to invite your collaborators to contribute to the playlist.
Your playlist contributes to the holiday atmosphere
Along with decorations, food and scents, music contributes to the feel of the holidays. It is also an activity that can be adapted to suit diverse ages, lifestyles, values and even cultures for an inclusive and harmonious gathering.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! If you’ve been twiddling your thumbs waiting for Santa Claus, we’ve rounded up some of the best Christmas games to play on Android and iOS.
Whether it’s running a festive farm, decorating a house, or baking a Yule log, these Christmas-themed mobile games for Android and iOS are sure to get you in the festive spirit. So put on your flarest jumper, hang up your stockings, and dive into the fun.
If you have kids, they can leave cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. Until then, play this great matching game. In Christmas Cookie, you swipe and tap to line up cookies so that they match or combine. You’ll earn power-ups as you progress, with the goal of clearing the board as quickly as possible.
If you’ve already mastered Candy Crush Saga, you should know what to expect here. With over 2,500 levels and special events and challenges along the way, this match game has enough to keep you busy well into the new year.